For many years, Friends of the Earth has been concerned about the only endemic koala population remaining in Victoria and South Australia. This population inhabits the Strzelecki Ranges/South Gippsland region of Victoria.

Results of our work, in conjunction with other groups was published in 2016. This work found that the preferred trees for Strzelecki Koalas were Mountain Grey Gum, Blue Gum and Strzelecki Gum. The work also determined a koala population of 0.09 animals per hectare of bushland.

We have continued this work in 2020 to further our understanding of the animal by conducting surveys in the Strzelecki Ranges and South Gippsland.

As of just before the COVID-19 lockdown, FoE has conducted a further 92 koala site surveys, after visiting 420 locations. The surveys have helped better understand the range of the animal by concentrating the surveying on preferred koala feed trees. Of most interest has been the addition of a number of new koala populations to the Strzelecki koala map database, managed by FoE.

Friends of the Earth podcast history series made in collaboration with 3CR 855 AM community radio show Acting Up! Monday 2.00pm. Ratbags, peaceniks and agents of change, resistance radio that explores the movements that made us.

Back in the day, Friends of the Earth’s Transform Waste campaigns lobbied for container deposit legislation achieving active schemes in operation across Australia today. Over the years campaigning shifted to electronic waste, packaging and food waste. In the past four decades, single-use plastics became a focus, and campaigners called for bans to offshore dumping of hazardous industrial tailings in cahoots with trade unions. Into the 21st century, FOE continues to advocate for resource recovery, to repair, reuse and recycle, calling for transformation of the waste management cycle, and resistance to nuclear waste dumps. Keep reading to find out how to be part of the solution to eliminate waste and pollution, to stop valuable materials ending up in land fill, and to help heal our environment.

Friends of the Earth podcast history series made in collaboration with 3CR 855 AM community radio show Acting Up!Monday 2.00pm. Ratbags, peaceniks and agents of change, resistance radio that explores the movements that made us.

Friends of the Earth has a long history supporting communities and lobbying governments to create sustainable cities, from the 1970s anti-F19-Eastern freeway protests to the recent win to stop the East West link. Friends of the Earth and allies actively campaign against costly, polluting mega road projects and expensive toll roads, calling for affordable, equal access to better public transport systems. Listen and learn how to stop freeways and reclaim space for bikes and people to travel around more liveable urban environments. Keep reading to get involved to make our cities greener and create a sustainable transport future.

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Australia suffered through a terrible summer. The 2019–20 bushfires have been described as 'the worst bushfires in our history’. Australia wide, approximately 19.4 million hectares have burnt since 1 July 2019 and at least 33 people dead. It has been estimated that a billion animals died. More than 2,500 homes were destroyed, with more than 300 in Victoria.

In Victoria, more than 1.2 million hectares have been burnt—making it the largest bushfire since 1939.

Now the Victorian government is holding an independent investigation into the 2019–20 fire season. It is being led by the Inspector-General for Emergency Management, and is looking at Victoria's ‘preparedness for, and response to, the current fire season, as well as review Victoria's recovery effort’. Submissions to this process are open until the end of April and preliminary recommendations are due on 31 July 2020.

We cannot yet fully comprehend the impact that COVID-19 will have on Friends of the Earth and our community. But, like many small retail and hospitality outlets, our social enterprise cafe and bulk foods store is already being hit hard by the pandemic.

The FoE Food Coop team have been working around the clock to continue to serve our Collingwood community and provide healthy affordable food during the COVID-19 crisis.

Friends of the Earth podcast history series made in collaboration with 3CR 855 AM community radio show Acting Up!Monday 2.00pm-2.30pm. Ratbags, peaceniks and agents of change, resistance radio that explores the movements that made us.

Since the 1990s, Friends of the Earth’s forest campaigns flourished, collaborating with Indigenous communities to protect land and water rights, saving old growth forests from logging, and challenging plantation practices. Friends of the Earth helped to break down “greenies versus loggers” dynamics, establish the Forest Stewardship Council, and support greater co-operation with trade unions to launch the Earthworker alliance. Keep reading to find out about our affiliates and partners, and discover how you can help protect Australia’s native forests, expand our national parks and help locate sites for the koalas of the Strzelecki Ranges.

Kalbar Resources has proposed a mineral sands and rare earths mine at Glenaladale, near Bairnsdale in East Gippsland.

The Fingerboards mine has not yet been approved by the Victorian Government, but after several years of investigation, Kalbar believes the site is suitable for an open cut mine to extract minerals including zircon, rutile and ilmenite — a titanium mineral, and rare earths.

There is still time to influence the Victorian government’s decision on this destructive and unpopular project.

Friends of the Earth acknowledge that we meet and work on the land of the Wurundjeri people and that sovereignty of the land of the Kulin Nation were never ceded. We pay respect to their Elders, past and present, and acknowledge the pivotal role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within the Australian community.